The Waiting Game

At 38 weeks pregnant, with just two weeks until the baby's due date to go, there is light at the end of the tunnel! Two weeks left of course means she might come later tonight, she might come in three weeks. It's really up to the baby (and my uterus) at this point. I'm as ready as I will ever be, and equally unprepared since I know I have no idea what to really expect.

Would anyone care to take a guess at the baby's arrival date and/or time?! Put it in the comments below! I'm going with Super Bowl Sunday, for no particular reason whatsoever. Mostly because that means we'll get (most of) another weekend just the two of us before baby makes three!

I read this article in an online blog on Momformation the other day, about feeling like you're carrying a huge baby. It really sums up how I am feeling at this point to a T! The whole paragraph about thinking the baby weighs about 20 pounds, 200 ounces really nails it. Fingers crossed that our girl is not as big as she seems to me!

And now your weekly baby update:
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Thanks for following along everyone, and stay tuned!

And Now We Wait

I'm 37 weeks pregnant today - really in the home stretch! The hospital bag is packed, the carseat is in the car and the baby's clothes are washed, folded & neatly put away. I keep saying I'm just about ready to be done being pregnant, but on the other hand I don't want the baby to get here too soon! She will come when she's ready, which at this point could be later tonight or three weeks from now. And whenever she comes will be just the right time.

Jan & I were both surprised with the happy news yesterday that our friends Nika & Will (Jan's hometown friend - who was in our wedding for those of you who were there) had their baby girl yesterday morning. Nika's due date was about a week after mine - that's an early arrival! It sounds like they had a pretty fast delivery, and everyone is healthy and doing great. We are so happy for them and can't wait to meet their new addition!

This news hit close to home for both of us, that our baby really might come any day now. Whoa!

How your baby's growing at 37 weeks:
You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean she's finished growing — in fact, she's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so she’s probably not kicking as much, though she’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for her big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking her thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side. Click here to see what your baby looks like this week.

For the record, our girl is very much on the move, all the time! It might not be kicks but this girl certainly packs a wollop. My belly is so tight and full of baby, now I can't imagine what it will be like when she's no longer in there! I go to the doctor on Thursday morning and will update again if anything is happening. Stay tuned...

She'll Be Comin' Around the Corner When She Comes!

With three and a half weeks to go, Baby K really is right around the corner (and apologies that you now have that song stuck in your head for the rest of the day). My hospital bag is finally packed, my weekly doctor's appointments are going just fine and Jan & I think we are as ready as we're going to be. Now it's just up to the baby to decide when she's ready. Thankfully we are past the 36 week mark, which means we are safe to have the baby in Aspen - a huge relief as we were hoping we wouldn't have to drive/fly down to Denver for the big event!

We have made a lot of progress on the baby's room, with the crib, changing table and glider all set up. It may come as no big surprise to most of you that our four-legged babies took almost no time to decide these soft new spaces were set up exclusively for them! So for now we've covered everything up to keep the kitties off of things. At some point I will get a few pictures so you all can see the nursery!

What's she up to at week 36?
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position.

Have a great weekend everyone & stay tuned! XO

35 Weeks Down, 35 Days To Go!

Hi everyone, just a quick update for week 35! The baby & I are getting bigger and bigger, and I'm not sure how much bigger either one of us can get at this point! Pregnancy books say that the amniotic fluid levels maxed out in the last week or so, meaning at this point there is more baby than fluid in the uterus. Translation: her kicks & punches are even pronounced at this point as there is less fluid in there cushioning the blows! It's a real wonder to me how a 5 to 5 1/2 pound baby can pack such a punch, but believe me, sometimes it really hurts! And not to complain about it at all because it is so reassuring feeling her move and knowing she's getting stronger and longer and flexing those tiny little muscles of hers.

I added one pic of mama-to-be from the baby shower on Saturday - since I was sitting down in all the others in the slideshow, I thought this was a good one as evidence of just how much growing I am doing!

And now your weekly baby update:
At about 20 inches and five and a half pounds, most of your baby's growth over the next month or so before you meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (baby's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department). Accordingly, fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days. Back in the middle of your pregnancy, your baby's weight was made up of only two percent fat; now at 35 weeks pregnant, that percentage has soared to closer to 15 percent and will increase to 30 percent at term. Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is your baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain — the skull — remains soft. And for good reason: A soft skull will allow your baby to squeeze more easily through the birth canal. See what baby looks like this week.

Baby K's Baby Shower

Passed another baby milestone with my very cute baby shower yesterday! Rachel & Julie very graciously hosted a fun party for me, with yummy food, cute decor and more than anything great company. The baby & I are very spoiled and lucky to have so many great mommy friends taking care of us. I just put together a quick slideshow from yesterday for those of you who couldn't be here to share in the fun. I've spent most of today washing tiny little baby things and starting to pack for the hospital - now back to it!

This slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Honey, It's Time...

No, not THAT time, but I got your attention didn't I? While going to the hospital is around the corner (about six weeks!), what happened yesterday was that my nesting instinct finally kicked in to overdrive! On my drive home from work I started thinking about moving some furniture around, and by the time I got home I couldn't wait to get to work. Of course in order to move my desk here I had to put that chest over there, and that bookshelf in the corner, it was a massive domino effect. Fast forward about 90 minutes to when Jan got home from work and discovered my desk in the hallway, random furniture moved around in the guest room and a pile of desk drawers and computer equipment in the dining room. As usual he was a real trooper, he quickly changed out of his work clothes and helped me bring all my grand plans to life which included redistributing furniture on all three floors, moving a pile of electronic gadgets and assembling the glider rocking chair we just received (thank you Marsha & Dad!). Because you know, it all HAD to happen on a Tuesday night! When a pregnant woman makes up her mind, you're either on board or overboard.

For those of you worried about me over-working Jan, I did feed him some yummy homemade sausage & artichoke soup and a couple of glasses of wine to energize him. The poor guy's gotta eat, I realize! Once he put the chair together however you can see who got to sit down & take a breather.

I'm now 34 weeks (and one day) pregnant. Most of the pregnancy books/websites recommend packing a bag for the hospital around this time. Whoa! I don't have my bag packed quite yet but it is a work in progress. Jan has been helping me keep a list of things we may or may not need for during labor & delivery, recovery, things for him and things for the baby. Just another milestone on our way to Baby Koorn!

Speaking of, wonder what she is up to this week?
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Thanks everyone for checking in and happy 2011!